Faith: Springs or Bricks?

Today I picked up Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis for the second time, and this time, actually read past the introduction. I’ve been pretty sure that his stuff would strike a chord deep inside of me, but those of you who know me well know that I have a “To Read” queue that’s as long as my arm. In fact, most of the books that are currently on my bookshelf are only barely begun or not quite finished. But I digress. Back to Mr. Bell.

Rob starts the first chapter, titled Movement One: Jump, by comparing faith to the image of a trampoline, then goes on to parallel the necessary springs with the statements people make about their beliefs. Springs are the doctrines that, when working together with other springs, hold up the mat we jump on, or the structure of our faith. In order to make that trampoline work, the springs should stretch and flex, expand and retract according to how the trampoline is being used. Likewise should our doctrines, the truths that give depth and content to our faith.

By comparison, Rob points out that there are those whose faith more closely resembles a wall of bricks that are laid on top of each other. If one gets knocked loose, several more tumble. Brickians aren’t comfortable with questions being asked of their faith, because they haven’t been introduced to the trampoline. They aren’t familiar with the flexing of the springs. Rob cites the case of one Brickian who was adamant that, “if you deny that God created the world in six literal twenty-four-hour days, then you are denying that Jesus ever died on the cross.” Pull out one brick, the whole wall collapses.

[The wall] appears quite strong and rigid, but if you begin to rethink or discuss even one brick, the whole thing is in danger… but if the whole faith falls apart when we reexamine and rethink one spring, then it wasn’t that strong in the first place, was it? This is because a brick is fixed in size. It can’t flex or change size, because if it does, it can’t fit into the wall. What happens then is that the wall becomes the sum total of beliefs, and God becomes as big as the wall. But God is bigger than any wall.

What is it about questions? Rob again:

…this is why questions are so central to faith. A question by its very nature acknowledges that the person asking the question does not have all of the answers. And because the person does not have all of the answers, they are looking outside themselves for guidance.

Questions, no matter how shocking or blasphemous or arrogant or raw, are rooted in humility. A humility that understands that I am not God. And there is more to know.

Questions bring freedom. Freedom that I don’t have to be God and I don’t have to pretend that I have it all figured out. I can let God be God.

Ah, freedom. The freedom to jump on a trampoline and be launched into the air and know that you’ll be caught gently before you hit the ground, thanks to those springs. Today, that thought feels like the first warmth of spring after a long winter, like the first glimpse of crocuses peeking through the soil, like a pocketful of cash to be spent.

I’ve been a Brickian before, but now that I’ve been on the trampoline, I’m not getting off.

I realize this website won’t give you fame of Biblical proportions, but I’d like to invite you to ask questions like Moses, David, and even Jesus asked of God. Right here. No answers need to be given. You can even post completely anonymously. What doubts do you have? What do you wonder?

MuSiNgS... Wanted:Holiness

Wanted: Holiness
Getting off the Merry-Go-Round

Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Which means that the power of sin’s promise is broken by the power of God’s. All that God promises to be for us in Jesus stands over against what sin promises to be for us without him. This great prospect of the glory of God is what I call future grace. Being satisfied with that is what I call faith.

JOHN PIPER1

Thought it may seem like common sense for you, for me, today, the above passage is like fireworks to my soul: a revelation! Last night (or rather, early this morning) I laid on my pillow after a thought-provoking instant messenger conversation with a far away friend thinking, “I guess it comes down to needing to desire holiness more than sin, desiring what God offers more than the temporal pleasures of sin.”

The promise sin offered had kept me on the gaudy plastic merry-go-round for so long that I had forgotten how to get off or why I would want to. Though the tinny music kept giving me headaches, and I knew there was something I should get off for, the rush of spinning around on the ride was enough to entice me to stay for another round, then another, then another.

And now, it hits me: “That [promise of happiness] enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself.” I’ve been a slave to the plastic horses when God is offering me a warrior’s stallion if only I’d choose him, desire him, and accept his promise.

God, give me the quotidian faith to hold out for future grace, especially when the fireworks fizzle out and I can hear the merry-go-round in the distance. I choose the stallion. I choose the stallion.


1. His Promises: Devotions for Every Day of the Year. 2005: Integrity Publishing.

MuSiNgS... Should Syndrome: Are you Susceptible?

“Don’t should on yourself.”
Matt Atkins, Pastor, teaching at Slingshot Mexico 2004.

As the over-responsible oldest of six children (read: second parent), a Christian missionary representing an international organization, and an administratively gifted leader from a task-oriented culture who has always felt the pressure of others’ high expectations of me, I am a classic candidate for the Should Syndrome. I have a hard time releasing others and myself from the stringent guidelines of the Sarah Koopmans Life Rule Book.

If I were to make a comparative list, after the style of a pros and cons list but with the column headings “Should” and “Want”, it would look something like this:

Should
1. Obey all Traffic Rules to the letter as if my driving instructor was in the car with me
2. Not swear
3. Not drink
4. Be on time
5. Cover up everything when choosing my clothes
6. Raise my hands during worship at church
7. Close my eyes when praying
8. Be polite (and shallow?) always
9. Always work quickly and efficiently, anticipating and avoiding problems

Want
1. Signal only when absolutely necessary, speed a bit, cross the center lines when turning into a lane if I need to
2. Swear a bit, when applicable
3. Drink to remember, not to forget
4. Late happens
5. Have fun, not be afraid to highlight my femininity
6. Do whatever my God-given creativity inspires me to do right at that moment
7. Focus on communing with God, however that needs to be at that moment
8. Be real
9. Do the best I can


You can imagine how the list would continue, I’m sure, and you are probably thinking of things that would be on your own list. Yeah, that means I believe you have your own Life Rule Book with its own implied rewards and consequences.

It is my observation that “the world” (meaning those that don’t subscribe to the term “Christian”) sees only our “Should” lists when they think of “Christians” in general, whereas “Christians” in general strive to eliminate the “Want” list from our lives, at the risk of losing our testimony to that same “world”, or perhaps our salvation.

Can you see why trying to decide between these two credos could induce stress? I’m so desperate to live in the freedom of Christ, while at the same time walking the traditional cultural tightrope I’ve believed myself subject to for most of my twenty-five years. No wonder the concept of grace mystifies and thrills me—most of my experience is with the abrasive straightjacket of the law, with the “Shoulds”. My thought process is usually, “I’d like to…. But I really should….”, and often, the “should” ends up weighing more on my moral balance.

The apostle Paul’s statement, “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial” (1 Cor 10:23) has given me an escape from many “should-ing” attempts, but because I’m not free of the fear of man, it’s very difficult to live freely when being observed by people that I know come from a similar tradition or culture. In fact, I feel more freedom when surrounded by “the world” than many groups of “Christians”.

I don’t have a precise, packaged solution to present to you, only the rawness of my doubts and disputing thoughts and reactions. Publicizing these thoughts is my commitment to make a concentrated effort to stop the “should” shower that threatens to rain out the parade of joy and freedom God gave me when me promised me eternal life and called me his own.

I’ve got the Should Syndrome. Are you susceptible?

MuSiNgS... Caramelized Generosity

Subtle jazz provides an inspiring background here at O’s Bistro, an artsy gourmet restaurant in Kona, Hawaii. I’m stuffed full of Pear Gorgonzola Salad with pecans and blue cheese, and a dessert of crème brûlée. The contents of my stomach are swimming after small glasses each of a delicious ginger lemonade, refreshing lilikoi iced tea, and delectable iced chai tea, all garnished with mint leaves.

You are perhaps wondering how I justify gourmet lunches on finances supplied by willing donors. I am gratified to divulge that a new acquaintance, which I barely know, and who also gallantly waited on me, refused to let me pay for the meal.

D and his wife were two of the thirteen people that I had the pleasure of serving a seven-course French meal less than a week ago. A friend and I were assistants to the chef, a wonderful godly man who was also the host of the event, which was “Blessing Night”, the culmination of a series of dinners and conversations between that group, with the purpose of training them in the art of evangelism.

After a few hours spent rinsing and chopping vegetables and fruit, wiping dishes and silver, and making other preparations, the guests arrived and took their places at the elegantly laid table. We began by serving them an aperitif of garlic bread with artichoke hearts, asiago cheese, kalamata olive tapenade and a dash of paprika. That was followed by a spinach salad, then salmon garnished with lemon, followed by wild mushroom puff pastry. The main course was of grilled pepper steak, potatoes, and baked asparagus. A course of Brie, Swiss, French goat, and Roquefort cheeses, served with slices of baguette, followed this. Baked chocolate pudding garnished with whipped cream and sliced strawberries was for dessert, then tea was served afterwards. The digestif? Homemade vanilla bean liqueur.

DW, the chef and host, prepared the next course while his guests were eating one, and my friend and I filled and served the plates, washed them between courses, and made sure the wine and water glasses were always filled. As far as we were concerned, we were helping DW, but we were surprised to find that his guests were possibly blessed as much by our willing service as they were by DW’s food and hospitality. Now, when we see these people, they greet us with glowing faces and offer their friendship. I imagine they wonder how they merited such generosity.

But now, I wonder how I merited such a response as D has just bestowed upon me: I was only the willing heart that happened to be in that place at that time, and I also enjoyed the experience immensely. Yet such is the quality of generosity – it caramelizes human interaction into an unmitigatedly delicious experience, and its offspring are often doubly divine.

MuSiNgS... Livin' la Vida Buena

In my last MuSiNgS (the money one), I mentioned enjoying the bounty in your barns. Now I want you to know that I’m serious—I didn’t just say that to give a perk to sacrificial giving!

What do I mean by enjoying your bounty? And yes, I do believe you can consider it your bounty because your Father the King created and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. However, the concept “possession is nine-tenths of the law” doesn’t apply here; “yours” is a very loose concept.

I believe that God gives us good things (Matt. 7:11), but we should be willing to give up our rights to those things, out of love for him, and hold loosely to them. After all, the things of this earth are only transitory, whereas our love for him will remain forever. Holding loosely to things that are fleeting breeds generosity—you will be so much more willing to give away something that you know is only in your possession for a time than something you feel you have long-term rights to.

So we’re back to the question: what does it mean to enjoy your bounty? I hope we don’t have to go into a theological debate about whether or not it’s ethical to enjoy things! There are those that think Christianity is boring because we don’t dance, we don’t drink, we don’t party, we don’t do anything “of the world”. There are so-called Christians who believe all that, too. If you’re of that camp, I invite you to show me where in the Bible it says a “Christian” can’t do any of those things and I’ll stand corrected.

The source of all life, joy, desire, and bliss is our Father! He created dancing! He created variety in music! He created the arts! He created wine to be enjoyed! Devotion to God does not translate into perpetual glumness! Living a life sold out for God does not mean you should take vows of poverty!

What does it mean to enjoy your bounty? Use your cell phone, iPod, laptop, plasma TV, espresso maker, or SUV. Take care of it. Treat it as if it were God’s, and remember that he may ask you to pass it on to one of your neighbors. Take $5 and hit up Starbucks for a caramel macchiato. Take $20 and go to the movies. Plan a trip and trust that your Father the King will help with the travel expenses. Buy a CD or a book—and keep your eyes open for friends that might want to borrow them (don’t worry if you don’t get them back).

I think (I hope) I’ve made myself clear. Reiteration: what you have isn’t yours, so use it in a way your father would delight in seeing you enjoy it, and remember that he’s your provider and knows the desires of your heart, so if you pass the goods on to someone else, you won’t be without good things yourself!

Get it? Got it? Good! Dare you to try it!

MuSiNgS... The Service of Money

Money is a touchy subject—we all know we need it and some of us want more than we have and some of us have no idea what to do with the money we do have, and then there’s this whole Christians-should-give-God-some-of-it thing.

A woman shared with my DTS (Discipleship Training School) class that her family tithed exactly ten percent of everything God gave them, down to rice and beans. A pastor’s son told me that his father felt he didn’t need to tithe because he was in the ministry. I’ve heard some say that you must tithe to a church, and then give offerings to missions on top of that. Others stress the importance of giving God your first fruits, the first and best portion of what you receive.

They all use the Bible to support their beliefs.

I’ve tried pretty much all of the above (except counting rice and beans), and I’ve found that there is, indeed, a reward when you give of your money and possessions. Sometimes that reward is simply peace of mind that God has got my back—he pays for what he orders, after all!

In the last Old Testament book, Malachi, God challenges us to test him with our finances—the only thing he says we can test him in. Why? Not so that we can consider God our personal slot machine where we win every time (put in a quarter, win $200). No, I believe the challenge is first to shake up our thinking a bit, and then to see how relevant we believe God is in the area of our finances: “Could God up in Heaven really understand how badly I need to make my mortgage payment this month here on earth?” Lastly, I believe God would like us to participate in The Great Generosity Challenge. Playing instructions? Give out of your necessity. Give your last $20, even if you know you’re supposed to get groceries on your way home tonight. Help your neighbor instead of going to a movie. Lend your new iPod to a friend, and don’t obsess about getting it back. Write a check for $100 to that new ministry in town, even though it means you’ll have to wait twice as long as you have already waited to get those new shoes you need.

The moral of the story: Consider what should, in the eyes of the world, be most valuable to you as not yours at all, but God’s. Then, simply be a spiritual forklift operator, transferring when needed the bounty from your barns to those of another, as per the invoice received from the Holy Spirit. Don’t forget to enjoy the bounty that remains in your barn while it is there!

You will find yourself rich… in heart, soul, mind, and body.

MuSiNgS... Friend of God

Friend of God?
Supreme Being Seeks Human Interaction

Imagine. God: the Big Guy, the Man Upstairs, the Creator, the Great Spirit, the Mighty Gitchi Manitou. Seeking you out? You, a mere mortal, a transient, an ephemeral being. Here’s how I see it:

Companion. God is omnipresent. He’s always at my side. Even when my own sin and doubt clouds my vision, he remains faithful(1) and right where I left him. It’s more than that, though – I believe he yearns to spend time with me. I’m someone whose company he seeks out, someone with whom he wants to share experiences, both agreeable and disagreeable.

Soul-mate. I’m ideally suited to be God’s close friend. He created me with the ability to share thoughts with him, to appreciate him. I also possess an innate desire to relate to him with the deepest parts of me. In fact, if I’m not constantly communing with him, I’m left with a hunger, a longing for more.

Confidante. God wants to confide in me, to tell me the mysteries of his vast universe, to reveal his thoughts. “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you.”(2) With so much under Jehovah Jireh’s guardianship, I can imagine that those thoughts never cease to flow. They’re constant, complex, and unpredictable. Being God’s confidante isn’t an occasional thing – it’s something that could and perhaps should take up the majority of my time.

I am a friend of God: He calls me friend(3).



1-- 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NIV), 2--Matthew7:7 (KJV), 3-- John 15:15